US2396353A - Joint and bushing construction - Google Patents

Description

March l2, 1946. f A. VENDITTY JOINT AND BUSHING CNSTRUCTIONl Filed May 22, 1945 y 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 12 19446.. A.. vEN-DlTTY JOINT AND BUSHING CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 22, 1945 /a N ZZ 26a I g "9 lf c/ Z Z 30H11' BUSG CNSTRUCTION Anthony Vendltty, Detroit, Ill/itch.,y assignor to Thompson Products, inc., Cleveland, Ohio, a

corporation oi Ohio Application May 22, i943, Serial No. 487,995 8 malins. (Cl. 28l-85) This invention relates to joint mechanisms and resilient bushings for such mechanisms accomsince any continuously curved face must stretch f in tension and bulge in compression, thus oermodating universal movement and so constructed l and arranged that the resilient material of the bushings will not be damaged during operation.

Specifically, the invention relates to rubber bushing constructions accommodating wobbling or oscillatory movements and having cut-out portions extending inwardly from the end faces thereof forming rolling surfaces during such 1 movements to eliminate formation of creases or tion the rubber block is preloaded by radially deforming the same to bring the opposed faces pro-` vided by the cut-out portions into initial engage 4ment thereby closing up most of the recess or slot of the cut. The cut is suiliciently deep so that it'vvill not be completely opened up during oscillation or Wobbling of the block and therefore the i bottomo the cut is not subjected to hinge joint action.

If a. rubber bushing with continuous endl faces is deformed as by cooking a pintle carried by the bushing relative to a housing carrying the bushing, portions of the rubber at diagonally opposite f broken, and cracked, thereby decreasing the uselrul life oi the bushing.

Rubber bushing blocks with continuous curved 'contours on the end faces have been proposed K to increase the useful life of the bushings, but contours of these natures necessarily result in formation of high and low stress points during operation since the contour shape varies ythe thickness of the block and causes it to be most highly stressed at its thinner areas. Repeated flexing will soon develop cracks in the rubber.

ing resistance to such` movement. l

'in b accordance with this invention, hinge points and high or low stress areas of the rubber are eliminated and resistance to cooking or web bling movements is materially decreased. At the same time, the rubber bushing is not weakened by the cut-out portion, since the bushing is radially loaded to bring the lopposed faces of these portions into rolling engagement.

It is, then, an object of this invention to provide joint constructions accommodating universal movements throughout awide degree of angulation through the media of resilient bushings,

A still further object of the invention is to pro- 'vide a joint construction having relatively movable members connected through a resilient member which accommodates a wide range of movements of the joint members.

A further object of the invention is to increase the degree of angulation of rubber bushed imiversal joints. v

A specic object of the invention ls to provide a bushing especially useful for joint constructions having connected inner and outer annular portions adapted to roll on each other and to be separated from each other during operation.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a rubber bushing having annular cuts extending inwardly from the opposed ends thereof.

A still further object of the invention is to'provide a radially preloaded bushing assembly em bodying a rubber block having connected inner and outer portions adapted to rollfon each other during wobbling movements between the inner and outer portions.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a one-piece rubber bushing composed of an outer sleeve and an inner sleeve connected intermediate their ends and arranged so that the sleeves can wobble relative to each other without vsubjecting the rubber to shear stresses.

' end :faces and with an annular cut extending inwardly from each end face in axial alignment with each other and terminating' in equally spaced relation from the transverse center line of the block.

' Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the Continuous contoursalso resist wobbling action 55 `following detailed description of the annexed ,Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view, I

with parts in horizontal cross section', of a portion ofthe universal joint shown vin Figure 1 illustrating the operation of the joint.

Figure 4 is an axial cross-sectional view of a rubber bushing assembly according to this invention before the same Ais radially preloaded.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 illustrating the assembly of Figure 4 after the same hasl been radially loaded.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 illustrating a modied embodiment wherein the inner metal sleeve has been eliminated.

As shownon the drawings:

In Figures 1 to 3 the reference numeral Ill designates generally a universal joint according to this invention having a pair of opposed flange view taken on the arcuate rocking` faces 26a and 26h at each end members II, II each equipped with a central internally splined hub portion IIa, adapted' to be connected to a shaft such as I2. Each flange II is apertured at its outer ends and receives bolts I3 through the apertures thereof. Each bolt I3 has a head I3a in spaced relation from the flange through which it projects and a washer Iii is bottomed on each head I 3a. A pintle pin I5 suro rounds each bolt I3 and is clamped between the washer I4 and theflange I I on which the bolt is mountedby means of a nut I6 threadedfon the bolt, and bottomed through a lock washer Il .on the opposite face of the flange II.

Each pintle I5 .has an annular shoulder` lia spaced from the ange II on which it is mounted.

A bushing assembly I8, composed of Va cylindrical rubber block I9, a cylindrical casing or sleeve 20 surrounding and bonded to the block I9, an axial bore 2| through the block I9, and an inner sleeve 22 vulcanized in the bore 2l, has the sleeve 22 thereof disposed around each pintle I5 and clamped at its ends between the shoulder I5a andV the washer I 4. Two such bushing assemblies I8 are mounted on each fiange II, prolviding a total of four bushing assemblies, al-

though it should be understood that'any number of pintles and bushing assemblies could be 'used Without departing from the scope of this invention.

A connecting housing 23 composed of two metal discs or plates 23a and 23h riveted together as by means of rivets 2t, has four open-ended cylindrical pockets or cups 25 spaced equally therearound each receiving the outer shell 20 of a bushing assembly I 8. Each cup 25'has an inturned end flange 25a at each open end thereof overlying vthe sleeve 2li tohold the bushing assembly in the cup. l v

The bushing assemblies are vreadily mounted in the housing member by bringing the opposed plates 23a and 23h constituting the housing member over the sleeve Zll and then riveting the plates together. o

The universal joint I Il thus has each flange II,- Il thereof connected through a pair of bushing assemblies I8 with the connecting housing 23 and since, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the flanges Y II. II are disposed on opposite sides of the housing 23, these anges can have universal `moveto have rolling contact with each other.

escasos seated and the block I9 is correspondingly oversized.

. l'The block I9, in its free state, has recessed end faces provided by annular cuts 26 intermediate,

the inner and outer diametersof-the block extending'inwardly in axially aligned relation to terminate in equally spaced relation on opposite sides of the transverse center line of the block. These cuts 2S converge along curved paths from the end faces of the block and provide opposed of the block. Each of these opposed faces 26a and 2Gb are preferably arcs of -circles arranged The surfaces converge from spaced opposed relation at the end faces of the blocks to-rounded bottoms 26e lying inward from the end faces of the block a sufeient distance so that the bottoms will not be subjected to tension loads even during extreme wobbling of thel joint in'whieh the bush ing is used.

The block thus has a central connecting portion I9a integrally joining an outer sleeve i912 with an inner sleeve Isc. Since the cuts 2lil have arcuately curved side walls, the bushing may be considered as resembling integrally joined inner and outer nested "doughnutsf The inner sleeve portion I 9c of the block I9 is preferably slightly longer than the outer sleeve i911.v

The bearing assembly I8, as shown in Figure 5, before being mounted in a cup 25 of the housing or connecting member 23 of the universal joint I0, is radially loaded by swaging the outer casing 2l] to reduce the outer diameter of the assembly to the inner diameter of the cup 25. This reduction in diameter of the bushing assembly radially loads the rubber block I9 and the block is thus compressively loaded. The inner sleeve 22, of course, will prevent collapse of the bore 2I during`the swaging operation.

'I'he radially loaded or compressed'bushing assembly I8 has the cooperating rocking faces 26a words, the outer vsleeve 9b of 'the block I9 is v moved radially inward against the inner sleeve I9c of the block and the cuts -are closed.

When the bushing assembly i8 has the inner sleeve 22 thereof cocked relative to the outer casing 20, as in Figure 3, the faces 28a of the cuts 26 on diagonally opposite portions of each end face of the block I9 will roll on the outer-surfaces 26h to permit the cooking action without forming hinge points in the rubber. The other diagonally opposed portions of the end faces of the block I9 will have the surfaces 26a. and 2Gb only partially separated so that the bottomsZGc of the cuts are never fully opened up, In operation, the cuts are never fully opened, although portions of the rolling faces 25a and 2Gb will be separated. Thus the bottoms 26e never become hinge points. The wide mouths of the cuts 2B will permit the rubber on the inner sleeve portion Isc of the block to ride over the surfaces 26h as ebushing assembly is identical with that disclosed in Figure with the exception that. the inner sleeve 22 is eliminated and the pintle i5 is directly vulcanized or otherwise bonded to the bore 3i of the block.

Joints constructed-with bushing assemblies according to this invention have a longer wear'life and have angulation capacity through ,wider angles than heretofore-known `rubber bushed joint assemblies. While it is preferred to use rubber for the block i9, it should be understood that other resilient materials can be used. Obviously, of course, synthetic rubber is a suitable material and the term rubber as used throughout this specification and` in the claims is in-v tended to include both natural and synthetic rubber or rubber-like materials.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be-varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a joint assembly, inner and outer annular members, a radially loaded resilient bloclgi between said members, and said block having exposed end faces each with an inwardly extending converging annular cut, said cuts terminating in spaced relation on opposite sides of the trans- 3. lA rubber bushing comprising a one-piece block of rubber having integrally connected inner and outer sleeve portions joined along the central portion of their length and said sleeve portions having opposed faces formed to provide rolling surfaces for each other during relative oscillation between the inner and outer sleeve portions and said opposed faces having portions in constant abutting relation.

4. A bushing' assembly comprising an inner member, an inner rubber sleeve surrounding said member, an outer rubber sleeve surrounding said inner rubber sleeve and connected to the inner rubber sleeve only at an area adjacent the transverse center line of the sleeve, and an outer mem.

` ber surrounding said outer sleeve andcompresverse center line of the resilient block and said l outs having side wall portions in abutting relation during all relative positions of the inner and outer annular members.

2. A rubber bushing comprising a cylindrical block of rubber having end faces and an axial r bore therethrough terminating at said end faces,-

said block having an annular cutextending inwardly from each end face intermediate the inner and outer diameters of the blocks, said cuts being axially aligned and terminating in spaced relation from the transverse center line of the block, and each cut having `side wall portions in conetant abutting relation beyond the bottoms of the cuts.

sively loading both sleevesto maintain portions of the inner and outer sleeves in contact beyond the connecting portion thereof.

5. In a joint construction, inner 'and outer members and apresilient member compressed between said inner and outer members, said resilient member having annular slotsextending inwardly from the end faces thereof into spaced opposed relation from the transverse center-line of the resilient member, th'e side walls definingY said slots being heldin abutting relation and havingconvex contours in their 'free state.

6. A bushing comprising a block of rubber having recessed end faces providing radially inner and outer block portions, said recesses being defined by opposed walls having portions in abutting relation, and -said walls being adapted to roll on each other during relative oscillation between the radiallyl inner and outer portions of the block.

7. In a `ioint construction, inner and outer members and a resilient member compressed between said inner and outer members, said resilient 'member having annular grooves extending inwardly from the end faces thereof into spaced opposed relation from the transverse center line of the resilient member, the depth of said grooves ANTHONY VENDITTY.

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